Scorpion Knives has been making knives suitable for military and field use since 1864. The new Campbell Saguaro and Parry Signature knives continue the tradition of rugged blades designed by people with the experience to know what works. STEVE WOODS PHOTO

Scorpion Knives has been a supplier of military and survival knives for quite some time now, and they continue to seek out design input from folks who’ve “been there, and done that.” Two of their latest offerings are no different. Evolving from the deserts of Arizona, the Saguaro Survival Knife was the brainchild of survival expert John Campbell, whereas the Parry Blade “Signature” knife is the product of long-time British Special Forces operator Mel Parry. While dramatically different designs, both are designed to bring you back from beyond when things go off kilter.

The Parry features a steel double guard as well as a heavy, elongated pommel for use in hammering. The thick linen Micarta slabs provide a solid grip even when wet.

Campbell’s Saguaro
John Campbell’s Saguaro survival knife isn’t some tool to be put in your bug-out-bag in case of emergency, but one designed for day-in and day-out use. John set about to design a knife that would do the work of both smaller bushcraft knives and bigger choppers without being clunky and awkward to carry. The resulting Saguaro is a knife with a 7.25-inch long blade and an overall length of 12.5-inches, which is pretty close to that of many military field knives. Weight is just less than 16-ounces on my scale, making it solid but not overly heavy. The Saguaro is made from 1075 high carbon steel with a saber grind and a large swedge along the spine to reduce weight. The thickness is listed at a full 0.25 inches, which surprised me as the swedge and saber grind make it feel and perform like a thinner blade. When I took a look at my test blade, it’s actually 3/16-inch thick, which explains why it felt thinner to me: it is. The Rockwell sits in the 54 to 55 range giving it a good balance of edge-holding capability while still being easy to maintain in the field.

With a 14-inch overall length, the Parry Signature knife is quite the handful. The length and mass help it to be a powerful chopper and it performs much like a small axe on downed trees.